A. K. Ramanujan

A. K. Ramanujan Biography

A. K. Ramanujan was an eminent scholar of English and Kannada languages. He is also known as a philologist, folklorist, translator, poet and playwright. His academic researches include 5 different languages - Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Sanskrit, and English. In 1976, he received Padma Shree and in 1983, he was given the MacArthur Prize Fellowship.

A. K. was born in Mysore on 16 March 1929 as the son of Attipat Asuri Krishnaswami, an astronomer and professor of mathematics at Mysore University. His mother was a housewife. His brother, AK Srinivasan is also a famous mathematician. His schooling was done at Marimallappa's High School and later he joined Maharaja College of Mysore. Though he joined in science first, after first year his father felt that literature is his best subject and changed the major. Thus he became a graduate in English literature. In 1958, he became Fellow of Deccan College, Pune and later took Ph.D. in Linguistics from Indiana University. He began his career as a lecturer at Kollam, Kerala followed by Belgium.

In 1962, he joined the University of Chicago as an assistant professor and worked in different colleges till his retirement. He taught at Harvard University, University of Wisconsin, University of Michigan, University of California and Carleton College. He has published books both in India as well as London and New York. A few of his published works are The Striders, Relations, Mattu Itara Padyagalu and Other Poems, Second sight, Hokkulalli Huvilla and Samskara. His three books of Kannada Poetry and a novella have been translated to English by Oxford University. Ramanujan himself has translated many books and published many research works as well. When God Is a Customer: Telugu Courtesan Songs by Ksetrayya and Others and A Flowering Tree and Other Oral Tales from India need special mention.

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Updated: March 20, 2014